I grew up on the Bayou and never strayed far because New Orleans has always been, and still is, a hell of a place to cook. Food has more cultural significance here. No matter where in the world early settlers came from — Italy, Spain, Senegal, Haiti — and whether free or enslaved, they assimilated into the Creole culture, embracing everything from language to cooking. That's why dishes like gumbo and jambalaya have so many ingredients — every culture stirred a bit into the pot.

I try to deliver some of that complexity in this one-pot meal while keeping the ingredient list short by using a reduction of naturally spicy zinfandel with a touch of sugar, a combo that adds backbone and works wonders with the fattiness of the meat. There was a time when you couldn't give short ribs away in American restaurants. It was fillet of beef this and lobster that. But as we've grown more comfortable — culinarily speaking — we've begun to identify with peasant-style cooking, the kind of food our grandparents might have made. This is one of those dishes. The ribs come from the chuck section, where the meat contains a lot of connective tissue and needs slow, moist cooking. —John Besh

Ingredients

Serves 4

4 lbs beef short ribs, cut flanken style (across the bone) or English style (parallel to the bone). Flanken are easier to deal with but slightly more fatty.

Coarse salt and black pepper

3 cups zinfandel

1/2 cup sugar

6 oz canned chopped tomatoes

2 cups beef broth

1 tbsp minced garlic

3 sprigs fresh thyme, picked off stem

2 bay leaves

3 oz canola oil

1 large onion, diced (2 cups)

2 medium carrots, diced (1/2 cup)

2 stalks celery, diced (1/2 cup)

2 oz dried mushrooms, preferably porcini

Instructions

1. Season short ribs with salt and pepper; be rather generous. In a mixing bowl, whisk together zinfandel, sugar, tomatoes, beef broth, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and a pinch of salt. 2. Pour canola oil into a heavy pot or Dutch oven (at least 5 quarts) and place over high heat. When oil is hot, working in small batches, brown the meat. Turn each piece to brown on all sides before removing from the pot. (Tip: A sturdy pot that conducts heat well has a lot to do with the success of this dish. Get yourself a cast-iron pot. It'll outlast you.) 3. When all beef is browned and removed from pot, add onion, carrots, and celery, allowing onion to cook until browned, about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. 4. Return beef to the pot along with wine mixture. Allow wine to come to a boil before reducing heat, skimming fat from surface. 5. After simmering for several minutes, add mushrooms. Cover and simmer over very low heat until meat is fork tender and nearly falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 6. Once the beef has cooked, remove from pot and keep warm. Turn up heat and reduce the pot liquids until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 7. Transfer ribs to four shallow bowls, spooning liquid over top.